It's 430 horsepower against 362, rear-wheel drive against all-wheel drive, front-engined against mid-engined, an inline-six twin-turbo against a three-cylinder electric hybrid and steel against carbon fiber. Can the future beat the past?

I'm afraid not yet, but it's getting really close. The M4 has more power and way more grip even if you hoon around a bit in the corners, and while the i8 has better traction as long as you have some juice left in its batteries, there is only so much a 1.5 three-cylinder can do turning a pair of super skinny eco-warrior tires on a track.